Ski resort backs land swap that would allow expansion
BOISE – A new Idaho ski resort wants the state to acquire 12,000 acres of federal land in a swap that would quintuple the resort’s size and ease permits by consolidating expansion under a single landlord.
Tamarack Resort, which opened Dec. 15 near Donnelly, wants Idaho to take over federal land adjacent to 2,100 acres of state land on which it now operates.
Idaho has identified 52,000 acres of state land that could be traded and says a swap could increase revenue for Idaho schools.
The resort, whose skiing terrain is now just a fifth that of better-known Sun Valley, is counting on expansion to lure buyers of real estate that so far has sold for an average of more than $450,000 per lot.
It’s also pushing the swap to make sure it operates on land managed solely by Idaho, where lawmakers have already given Tamarack a 49-year lease. That could simplify obtaining land-use permits and reduce costs, ski industry observers say.
“There are examples in both Utah and Alaska where federal lands have become state lands to allow ski areas to operate under a single landlord,” said Michael Berry, president of the National Ski Areas Association in Colorado. “There’s one set of regulations, one fee structure.”
On Tuesday, the board that oversees Idaho’s public lands – one member is Gov. Dirk Kempthorne – agreed to study the swap proposal.
It’s already won backing from Idaho’s U.S. congressional delegation.
“We will work with the federal government to ensure an open and public process that will result in an expeditious land exchange,” according to a letter signed by Sen. Larry Craig, Sen. Mike Crapo, Rep. Mike Simpson and Rep. Butch Otter, all Republicans.
Still, the plan has aroused opposition from some area residents.
A group in neighboring Indian Valley says the swap is just a way to skirt stringent federal regulations.
“Tamarack does not want to be on national forest as anything they do there requires extensive environmental assessment, whereas they have much more latitude on state lands,” said Wendy Green, a member of the group, in a statement.
Tamarack’s director of skiing, Jim Spenst, said the resort would still have to meet strict environmental standards.
Tamarack said it’s invested $200 million in what investors, including Frenchman Jean-Pierre Boespflug, have said could be a $1.5 billion project. It includes more than 2,000 home and condominium sites, the ski area, a golf course and a marina on nearby Lake Cascade.
Tamarack is marketing itself to baby boomers with disposable income: Seventy-five million Americans are over 50 and control half of the nation’s discretionary spending.
In January, Tamarack sold 134 lots, raising more than $91 million. Its next sale is set for May.
“I think the strength of the demand was surprising – even for those of us who are close observers,” NSAA’s Berry said.
Should the land swap proceed, Idaho Department of Lands Director Winston Wiggins said it could boost revenue for an endowment that funds state public schools.
“We would anticipate the return would be significantly higher than the returns from the lands we are disposing of,” Wiggins said, declining to estimate the increase.
Tamarack has already paid $1 million to Idaho to lease 2,100 acres over the next five years.
State land available for the swap could include 52,000 acres in four remote central Idaho counties, as well as near the White Bird Battlefield, the area near Craters of the Moon National Monument, Lake Lowell and the Payette area.
Scott Turlington, Tamarack’s director of external affairs, stopped short of saying Tamarack’s ambitious expansion plans, which could include more lifts and trails, would be put on ice if the swap doesn’t go through.
“We would definitely take a hard look at that,” Turlington said. “With what we’ve got now, the area we have is sufficient for Tamarack’s needs. But as we look long-term, there’s a desire to add recreational amenities.”